American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans: 2017 (AIAN)

American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans: 2017

May 2020

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Veterans have played a vital role in the United States military for over two hundred years. This report provides comprehensive statistics on AIAN Veterans through an examination of demographic, socioeconomic, and health status statistics. The report uses the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data and U.S. Veterans Eligibility Trends and Statistics, 2017. The report was prepared by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics.

AIAN Veteran Analysis

• AIAN Veterans comprised 88.7 percent men and 11.3 percent women. The proportion of Female AIAN Veterans was higher than that of Female Veterans of other races (11.3% vs. 9.0%, respectively).

• AIAN Veterans were more likely to live in the West region of the United States than Veterans of other races (40.3% vs. 22.3%, respectively).

• AIAN Veterans’ median age was 59 while the median age for Veterans of other races was 64. The AIAN non-Veterans’ median age was 41.

• The AIAN Veteran cohort served in the Pre-9/11 period of service at a higher percentage than Veterans of other races (17.7% vs. 14.0%, respectively).

• AIAN Veterans had lower personal incomes than Veterans of other races, and AIAN Veterans had higher personal incomes than AIAN non-Veterans ($29,847, $38,792 and $13,691, respectively).

• AIAN Veterans were more likely to have some college compared to Veterans of other races (44.3% vs. 37.4%, respectively) and less likely to hold a bachelor’s degree (13.7% and 16.9%, respectively).

• The percentage of AIAN Veterans who were unemployed was higher than the percentage of Veterans of other races who were unemployed (5.5% vs. 3.4%, respectively).

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• AIAN Veterans were more likely to lack health insurance than Veterans of other races (7.4% vs. 2.9%).

• AIAN Veterans were more likely to have a service-connected disability than Veterans of other races (30.0% vs. 23.0%, respectively).

• In 2017, there were 158,217 AIAN Veterans, of which 65,749 used at least one VA benefit or service.

• AIAN Veterans used Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) benefits or services at a lower percentage than Veterans of other races (41.6% vs. 52.7%) in fiscal year 2017.

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Section I: Introduction

Overview

In honoring October 2018 as National Native American Heritage Month, President Trump extolled American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs), and said:

America’s Native Americans have fortified our country with their traditions and values, making tremendous contributions to every aspect of our national life. We remain committed to preserving and protecting Native American cultures, languages, and history, while ensuring prosperity and opportunity for all Native Americans.1

Indeed, Native Americans have made lasting contributions to the United States, including significant military service to defend our country. Continuing in the October 2018 proclamation, the President praised AIAN Veterans, stating:

American Indians and Alaska Natives are both important components of the American mosaic. Native Americans are business owners creating good jobs for American workers, teachers educating our children, first responders assisting neighbors in need, and leaders serving their communities. This month, we especially recognize the immeasurable contribution of American Indians and Alaska Natives who serve in the Armed Forces at five times the national average. We also acknowledge the many American Indians and Alaska Natives who are members of Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement and who sacrifice their safety for the security of all.

This report focuses on the demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics of AIAN Veterans and presents similar summary information for all Veterans of other races. Appendix A describes the data source and methods. Appendix B provides current state of residency. Appendix C provides a brief overview of the contributions of AIAN Veterans in the military.

1 The full text of the October 2018 Presidential proclamation is available from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-proclamation-national-native-american-heritage- month-2018/. P a g e 4 | 28

Data and Methods

The data in this report comes the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data and U.S. Veterans Eligibility Trends and Statistics, 2017. All Veterans 17 years and older living in the United States are included in this analysis. For the purposes of this analysis, only Veterans who reported a single race of AIAN are included in this group. Veterans who reported multiple races, i.e., AIAN in combination with any other race, are classified along with all other Veterans in the category “All Other Races.” The single race of AIAN Veterans includes those reporting Hispanic ethnicity. All comparative statements have undergone statistical testing and are significant at the 90% confidence level. For more information on the data and methods, see Appendix A.

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Section II: Veteran Demographics

Overview

The following summary tables provide demographic information for AIAN Veterans and for Veterans of all other races combined. Specific demographic characteristics include age, sex, period of service (POS), and a map of current state of residence. Refer to Appendix B to see the population distribution by state.

Veterans by Sex and Age

Table 1. Veterans by Sex and Race

All Other Sex AIAN Percent Races Percent Male 124,574 88.7 16,497,279 91.0 Female 15,933 11.3 1,625,249 9.0 Total 140,507 100.0 18,122,528 100.0

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample, 2017. Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

• According to ACS data, there are 15,933 Female AIAN Veterans, or roughly 11.3 percent of the AIAN Veteran population. The percentage of Female Veterans for all other races is 9.0. This difference may be partly due to the military becoming more diverse in recent years, particularly among Female service members. Another explanation is that the larger category of “All Other Races” includes a large cohort of older Veterans who are predominately male and White.

• Female AIAN Veterans constitute 0.8 percent of all Female Veterans, while all AIAN Veterans make up 0.7 percent of the entire Veteran population. Thus, women Veterans are more represented among AIAN Veterans than the entire Veteran population.

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Table 2. Veterans by Age and Race

All Other Age Group AIAN Percent Percent Races 17 to 24 years 2,269 1.6 258,517 1.4 25 to 34 years 13,223 9.4 1,349,832 7.4 35 to 44 years 17,024 12.1* 1,650,568 9.1* 45 to 54 years 24,886 17.7* 2,601,753 14.4* 55 to 64 years 30,004 21.4* 3,198,405 17.6* 65 to 74 years 35,334 25.1 4,832,968 26.7 75 years and 17,767 12.6* 4,230,485 23.3* older Total 140,507 100.0 18,122,528 100.0

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample, 2017. Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

An asterisk (*) denotes a statistically significant difference between the percentages for AIAN Veterans and Veterans of all other races. Statistical testing assessed significance at the 90 percent confidence level.

• According to ACS data, 140,507 Veterans identified themselves as AIAN, constituting 0.7 percent of approximately 18.3 million Veterans.

• In 2017, AIAN Veterans were younger than Veterans of all other races combined. The median age of AIAN Veterans was 59, compared with 64 for Veterans of other races.

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Veterans by Period of Service

The ACS questionnaire allows Veterans to mark all periods that apply to their active duty military service based on the established dates of wartime periods and peacetime periods. For this analysis, Veterans who served in multiple wartime periods were categorized in their most recent period of service. The ACS does not capture information on whether a Veteran was deployed, or “in country,” for a period of service.

Table 3. Veterans by Period of Service and Race

Period of Service AIAN Percent All Other Races Percent Gulf War II (Sept. 2001 to present) 33,538 23.9* 3,485,709 19.2* Gulf War I (Aug. 1999 to Aug. 2001) 24,884 17.7* 2,540,872 14.0* Vietnam Era 44,911 32.0 6,121,301 33.8 Korean Conflict 5,725 4.1* 1,326,457 7.3* World War II 1,470 1.0 549,262 3.0 Peacetime Only 29,979 21.3 4,098,927 22.6 Total 140,507 100.0 18,122,528 100.0

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample, 2017. Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

• In 2017, the largest living cohort of Veterans was the Vietnam Era. Over one-third of Veterans served during this period.

• A higher percentage of AIAN Veterans served in the Pre-9/11 period (17.7%), compared with Veterans of all other races (14.0%).

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Figure 1. Map of AIAN Veteran Population by State: 2017

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample, 2017. Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

• In 2017, about one-third of all AIAN Veterans lived in four states: California, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Texas.

• AIAN Only Veterans were more likely to live in the West region2 of the United States than Veterans of other races (40.3% vs. 22.3%, respectively).

2 The US Census Bureau includes the following 13 states in the Western region: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. P a g e 9 | 28

Section III: Veteran Socioeconomic Status

Overview

Income, educational attainment, and employment figures can be useful indicators of socioeconomic welfare. While they are clearly not the only indicators of wellbeing, they are valuable measures of socioeconomic status. These data enable VA to plan needed services and benefits for the Veteran population.

Income for Veterans

In the ACS data, “total personal income” is defined as the sum of wage or salary income; net self-employment income; interest, dividends, or net rental or royalty income or income from estates and trusts; Social Security or Railroad Retirement income; Supplemental Security Income; public assistance or welfare payments; retirement, survivor, or disability pensions; and any other sources of income received in a twelve month period, such as VA compensation payments, unemployment compensation, and child support or alimony.

Data for personal income are shown for all individual race groups by AIAN alone and all other races combined, as in other sections of this report. This allows for a more complete picture of how AIAN Veterans compare to other minority race groups.

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Figure 2: Veterans' Median Income by Race and Hispanic Origin (in dollars)

Asian NH 39,966

White NH 39,935

Other NH 39,138

Hispanic 36,178

NHOPI NH 34,559

Black NH 33,659

AIAN NH 29,920

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample, 2017. Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics Note: NH = Not Hispanic and NHOPI = Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

• AIAN Veterans showed the lowest personal incomes among Veterans of other races/ethnicity.

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Educational Attainment of Veterans

Educational attainment refers to the highest level of education an individual has completed. In this analysis, individuals who have completed some college credit, but no degree, or have completed an associate degree are classified as “Some College.” The category “Advanced Degree” refers to master’s, PhD, JD, MD, or other professional degree.

Figure 3: Educational Attainment of Veterans by Race (in percent)

44.3 AIAN All Other Races

36.4 37.4 34.0

16.9 13.7 11.7

5.6

High school or less Some college* Bachelors degree* Advanced degree*

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample, 2017. Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

• While a higher percentage of AIAN Veterans had completed some college credit (44.3% compared with 37.4%, respectively), a lower percent had a bachelor’s degree than other Veterans (13.7% and 16.9%, respectively).

Employment Status of Veterans

The ACS asks respondents a series of six questions to determine their current employment status. Individuals are classified as “employed” if they responded that they worked for pay at a job or business in the last week or if they were temporarily absent from their regular job in the last week. Individuals are classified as “unemployed” if they meet all of the following criteria: (1) they were neither “at work” nor “with a job but not at P a g e 12 | 28

work” during the survey reference week. (2) They were looking for work during the last four weeks. (3) They were available to start a job. All other individuals who were not at work and not looking for work are classified as “not in the labor force.” Note that the percentage of Veterans who were unemployed is not the same as the Veteran unemployment rate, which only includes people in the labor force. For the purpose of this report, this section compares Veterans age 65 or younger.

Figure 4: Employment Status of AIAN Veterans (in percent) 73.2 AIAN All Other Races 61.8

32.7 23.5

5.5 3.4

Employed* Unemployed Not in labor force*

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample, 2017. Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

• In 2017, AIAN Veterans of age 65 or younger were more likely to have employment status as unemployed than Veterans of other races.

• There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of AIAN Veterans and Veterans of other races of age 65 or younger who were employed or not in the labor force.

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Section IV: Veteran Health Status

Overview

The following tables examine the percentage of AIAN Veterans who use VA health care; what type(s) of insurance they have, if any; the percentage with a disability; and the percentage with a service-connected disability rating. These figures provide insight into the post-military health status of AIAN Veterans and their use of health care provided by VA.

VA Health Care Usage

The ACS questionnaire asks respondents about the type(s) of health care coverage they had in the past year. The question reads “Is this person CURRENTLY covered by any of the following types of health insurance or health coverage plans?” One of the possible responses is “VA (including those who have ever used or enrolled for VA health care).” For the purposes of this analysis, Veterans who answered “yes” to this category are considered users of VA health care.

These estimates from ACS differ from usage statistics reported by VA because of the differences in definitions and the limitations of the survey data.

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Figure 5: Used or Enrolled in VA Health Care by Race (in percent)

AIAN All Other Races

64.4 60.1

39.9 35.6

Used VA* Did not use VA*

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample, 2017. Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

• A higher percentage of AIAN Veterans (39.9%) ever used or were enrolled in VA health care by 2017, compared with Veterans of all other races (35.6%). The percentage of AIAN Veterans who had not used or enrolled in VA health care (60.1%) included the uninsured population.

Health Insurance Coverage of Veterans

The ACS questionnaire asks respondents to choose from a list of different health care insurance plans. These plans can be categorized as “private” or “public.” Private health insurance includes plans provided through an employer or a union, purchased by an individual from a private company, Tricare or other military health care. Public health insurance includes federal programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, VA Health Care; and individual state health plans. Veterans were considered uninsured (i.e., “No Health Insurance”) if they indicated they were not covered by any type of health insurance during the year. Individuals whose only source of health coverage is Indian Health Service (IHS) are considered uninsured in the ACS.

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Figure 6: Health Insurance Coverage of Veterans by Race (in percent)

AIAN All Other Races

43.5 36.8 31.7 28.4 24.1 25.2

7.4 2.9

No coverage* Private only* Public only* Private and public *

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample, 2017. Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

• A higher percentage of AIAN Veterans (36.8%) were covered only by public plans in 2017, compared with all other Veterans (25.2%).

• The percentage of AIAN Veterans with no health insurance (7.4%) was over twice that of all other race Veterans (2.9%).

• About 59 percent of AIAN Veterans using IHS are uninsured. As previously stated, IHS alone is considered a health system, but not health coverage in the ACS.

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Service-Connected Disability Status of Veterans

Service-connected disabilities are evaluated according to the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities in Title 38, U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Part 4. “Service-connected” means the disability was a result of disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service. Ratings are graduated according to the degree of the Veteran’s disability on a scale from 0 to 100 percent, in increments of 10 percent. Zero percent is a valid rating and is different than having no rating at all. A zero-percent rating means a disability exists and is related to the Veteran’s service; however, it is not so disabling that it entitles the Veteran to compensation payments.

Beginning in 2008, the ACS questionnaire added the question, “Does this person have a VA service-connected disability rating?” The question does not ask whether or not the Veteran is being compensated for this rating. Estimates of service-connected disability from ACS differ from compensation statistics reported by VA because of the differences in definitions and the limitations of the survey data.

It should also be noted that service-connected disability ratings are not necessarily correlated with having a disability, as defined in the next section. Veterans can receive a service-connected disability rating for a wide variety of conditions. Caution should be used when trying to compare service-connected disability status (Figure 8) and disability status (Figure 7).

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Figure 7: Service-Connected Disability Status of Veterans by Race (in percent)

AIAN All Other Races

77.0 70.0

30.0 23.0

Has a service-connected disability* No service-connected disability*

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample, 2017. Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

• About 30 percent of AIAN Veterans had a service-connected disability and rating in 2017, compared with 23 percent of Veterans of all other races.

Disability Status of Veterans

The ACS identifies disability as serious difficulty with any of six basic areas of functioning and limitations in activities – hearing, vision, cognition, and ambulation, difficulty bathing and dressing, and difficulty performing errands such as shopping. Any Veteran who answered yes to having serious difficulties with one or more of the disabilities listed above is considered to have a disability. Note that the ACS definition does not include all aspects of disability. Also, these disabilities may not correspond to a Veteran’s service-connected disability and rating.

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Figure 8: Disability Status of Veterans by Race (in percent) AIAN All Other Races 69.8 61.2

38.8 30.2

Has one or more disabilities* No disabilities*

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample, 2017. Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

• A higher percentage of AIAN Veterans have a disability, compared with all other Veterans (38.8% versus 30.2%, respectively).

• The AIAN population of Veterans showed higher rates of service-connected disability and disability than All Other Races Veterans.

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Section V: Use of VA Services and Benefits

Overview

VA administers and delivers a wide array of federally authorized benefits and services to eligible Veterans and their dependents and survivors. These benefit programs are overseen by three administrations within the VA – Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and the National Cemetery Administration (NCA). This section of the report describes the utilization characteristics and trends of AIAN Veterans.

Utilization

Figure 9 presents information about unique Veteran users. A unique Veteran user is defined as any Veteran who has received at least one VA benefit or service during fiscal year 2017. A Veteran may have received multiple benefits or services from VA but are only counted once in the total number of unique Veterans. In 2017, there were 158,217 AIAN Veteran of which 65,749 AIAN Veterans used at least one VA benefit or service. The number of AIAN Veterans who use at least one VA benefit or service has steadily grown from 28.9 percent in 2005 to 41.6 percent in 2017.

Figure 9: Benefits Utilization of AIAN Veterans (in percent)

AIAN All Other Races

58.4 52.7 47.3 41.6

Did not use VA benefit Used at least one VA benefit

Source: U.S. Veterans Eligibility Trends and Statistics, 2017. Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

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• A lower percentage of AIAN Veterans (41.6%) used at least one VA benefit or service compared to Veterans of all other races (52.7%).

Figure 10 shows the types of benefits and services VA provides and the number AIAN Veterans who used each benefit during FY 2017. Of the total AIAN Veteran population users in 2017, approximately 26.5 percent used VA health care and less than 1 percent were interred in a VA state or national cemetery or received a grave marker from VA. As for the utilization of VBA programs, the breakdown by the total AIAN Veteran population users was as follows: 24 percent received disability payments, 11.2 percent had a VA home loan guaranty, 3.3 had a life insurance policy administered or supervised by VA, 4.7 percent used education benefits, and 0.8 percent participated in or completed a vocational rehabilitation training program during fiscal year 2017.

Figure 10: VA Benefits Utilization by Program - Veterans only (in percent)

AIAN All Other Races

26.5 Health Care 34.9

24.0 Compensation or Pension 29.4

11.2 Home Loan 15.8

3.3 Life Insurance 5.1

4.7 Education 5.5

0.8 Vocational Rehab. 1.4

0.6 Memorial Benefits 0.6

Source U.S. Veterans Eligibility Trends and Statistics, 2017. Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

• AIAN Veterans used VBA benefits or services at a lower percentage than All Other Races Veterans in fiscal year 2017.

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Conclusions

AIAN Veterans have played a vital role in the United States military for over two centuries. In fiscal year 2017, AIAN Veterans comprised 88.7 percent men and 11.3 percent women. The proportion of Female AIAN Veterans was higher than that of Female Veterans of other races. AIAN Veterans were more likely to live in the West region of the United States. Their median age was 59 while the median age for Veterans of other races was 64. The AIAN Veteran cohort served in the Pre-9/11 period of service at a higher percentage than Veterans of other races in fiscal year 2017. They had higher personal incomes than AIAN non-Veterans, a characteristic shown of other Veterans when compared with the civilian population. They had lower educational attainment, had a higher unemployment rate, were more likely to lack health insurance, and were more likely to have a service-connected disability than Veterans of other races. AIAN Veterans who used at least one VA benefit or service had steadily grown from 28.9 percent in 2005 to 41.6 percent in 2017.

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References

Department of Defense, United States Army, November 2017, “Honoring Native American, Alaska Native Heritage,” Washington, DC, retrieved from: http://www.army.mil/article/48472/honoring-native-american-alaska-native-heritage/.

Ralph Reeser and Native American Technologies, Inc., 1999, “Native Indians, Alaska Natives & Department of Defense – A Brief History,” retrieved from: https://www.denix.osd.mil/na/consultation/alaska-natives-resources/alaska-native- military-relations-1867-to-current-background-information/

The White House, October 31, 2018, “Presidential Proclamation on National Native American Heritage Month, 2018,” retrieved from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-proclamation-national- native-american-heritage-month-2018/

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Appendix A. Data Sources and Methods

The data for this report comes from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey ACS) 2017 Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) and the U.S. Veterans Eligibility Trends and Statistics, 2017 (USVets2017).

The ACS is an annual household survey that provides data on the demographic, social, and economic characteristics of the U.S. population. It collects data annually on topics such as race, age, income, health insurance, education, Veteran status, and disability. Demographic and socio-economic tables in this report were produced from the ACS 2017 PUMS. ACS respondents had the choice of selecting one or more races for the survey. AIAN estimates reflect data from those respondents who only selected AIAN regardless of Hispanic ethnicity. Statistics from the ACS 2017 PUMS are estimates and should not be construed to be exact figures. All comparative statements have undergone statistical testing and are significant at the 90% confidence level.

The USVets2017 is based on the Federal fiscal year – October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017.

A “statistically significant difference” simply means there is statistical evidence that there is a difference; it does not mean the difference is necessarily large, important, or significant in the usual sense of the word. A “no statistically significant difference” means that there is statistical evidence that there is no difference in the comparative percentages/rates.

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Appendix B. Distribution of AIAN Veteran Population by State

State Total Percent Male Female Alabama 1,513 0.5 1,416 97 Alaska 4,370 6.9 3,656 714 Arizona 8,828 1.8 8,309 519 Arkansas 638 0.3 619 19 California 14,974 1.0 13,334 1,640 Colorado 3,198 0.9 2,778 420 Connecticut 899 0.5 899 0 Delaware 54 0.1 54 0 District of Columbia 130 0.5 65 65 Florida 5,913 0.4 5,322 591 Georgia 3,561 0.6 3,137 424 Hawaii 888 0.8 584 304 Idaho 1,971 1.7 1,936 35 Illinois 1,453 0.3 1,210 243 Indiana 2,322 0.6 2,222 100 Iowa 934 0.5 590 344 Kansas 1,321 0.7 1,281 40 Kentucky 948 0.4 874 74 Louisiana 1,474 0.6 1,313 161 Maine 580 0.5 580 0 Maryland 878 0.2 480 398 Massachusetts 337 0.1 337 0 Michigan 3,572 0.6 3,427 145 Minnesota 2,260 0.8 2,201 59 Mississippi 550 0.3 550 0 Missouri 1,924 0.5 1,733 191 Montana 3,845 4.4 3,446 399 Nebraska 516 0.4 494 22 Nevada 2,315 1.2 2,144 171 New Hampshire 84 0.1 84 0 New Jersey 909 0.3 446 463 New Mexico 6,847 4.6 6,093 754 New York 2,490 0.4 2339 151 P a g e 25 | 28

State Total Percent Male Female 7,225 1.1 5,717 1,508 North Carolina North Dakota 1,739 3.8 1,682 57 Ohio 1,721 0.2 945 776

Oklahoma 13,342 5.0 11,552 1,790 Oregon 2,356 0.9 2,356 0

Pennsylvania 2,520 0.3 1,975 545 355 0.7 355 0 Rhode Island South Carolina 1,475 0.4 1,347 128 South Dakota 1,769 3.2 1,314 455

Tennessee 1,233 0.3 1,233 0 Texas 8,506 0.6 7,509 997

1,299 1.0 1,163 136 Utah Vermont 518 1.4 518 0 3,632 0.5 3,353 279 Virginia Washington 5,005 0.9 4,544 461 West Virginia 239 0.2 239 0

Wisconsin 4,226 1.3 4,056 170 Wyoming 713 1.6 625 88 138 0.2 138 0 Puerto Rico Total 140,507 0.8 124,574 15,933

Note: Rows with ‘0’ Veterans may be the result of sampling variation and may not mean an actual zero count.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample, 2017. Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

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Appendix C. Historical Background

A brief overview3 of the contributions of AIAN Veterans in the military is provided in the following text:

Early Wars (before World War I)

• From the Revolutionary War through the Civil War, American Indians served as auxiliary troops and as scouts.

• The Indian Scouts were established in 1866. This service was active for the remainder of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century.

World War I

• Roughly 12,000 Native Americans served in the military during World War I.

• Four American Indians serving in the 142nd Infantry of the 36th Texas-Oklahoma National Guard Division received the Croix de Guerre medal from France.

World War II

• Over 44,000 Native Americans served between 1941 and 1945. The entire population of Native Americans in the United States was less than 350,000 at the time.

• Native American military personnel worked as cryptologists, using their Native languages to encode messages so that enemy codebreakers could not decipher them.

• Alaska Natives were a significant presence on the Alaska Combat Intelligence Detachment. This outfit was the first ashore on each island occupied by Allied forces in the Aleutian Campaign.4

3 Unless otherwise noted, historical information is obtained from a U.S. Army article celebrating AIAN heritage (available from: http://www.army.mil/article/48472/honoring-native-american-alaska-native-heritage). 4 Information obtained from a Department of Defense report titled Native Americans in the Military Relation. https://www.denix.osd.mil/na/military/ P a g e 27 | 28

Korean Conflict

• Approximately 10,000 Native Americans served in the military during this period.

• Three were awarded the Medal of Honor.

Vietnam Era

• More than 42,000 Native Americans served in the military in the Vietnam Era, and over 90 percent of these Servicemembers were volunteers.

Post-Vietnam Era

• AIAN Servicemembers continued to serve in high numbers after the Vietnam Era.

• AIAN Servicemembers saw action in Grenada, Panama, Somalia, the Gulf War, and in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation New Dawn (OND).

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